Finding Carrie

by C. E. Snyder

  “Oh, sorry,” Amy said as she stepped past him. The girls leaned their heads in the doorway, watching Amy start to walk up the stairs.

  “Amy, wait. She still doesn’t remember anything, so be gentle today,” Isaac warned.

  “I’m her best friend,” she said with a scowl.

  “I know, but she doesn’t remember. I had to show her how to tell the girls apart today,” he said, looking up at her. She looked down at him over her shoulder.

  “Oh, it’s that bad? I never would dream of the day that she couldn’t tell her own daughters apart. Well, we’ll be fine,” she said and started back up the stairs. Isaac turned and went through the door.

  “She doesn’t know what to expect, does she?” Sabrina asked as they left the building and went to grab a cab. The girls had only lived in New York for six months, but they were becoming experts at hailing a cab. Isaac turned to look up to where the apartment was and spotted Carrie in the window, looking down at him.

  “No, she doesn’t,” he said and gave Carrie a wave. She waved slightly back. She stood at the window. She didn’t know anyone here; at least she just didn’t remember if she did. She was frightened to watch Isaac leave. He hadn’t left her side since she woke up. Not for good, just for a few of hours, she reminded herself. She watched as the cab came to the curb and the three of them piled in the back seat. She watched as it went out of her sight.

  Chapter 12

  “Carrie.”

  She jumped at the sound of her name; she thought she was alone. She swung around with her hands up in fists to protect herself.

  “I’m Amy,” Amy said, standing in the doorway. She was tall, slender, and had red hair that went straight down past her waist. Carrie watched as she stepped into the room, came closer to her, and grabbed her hands to put them down. “It’s okay. We’ve known each other for a couple of years now.” She stood, staring at Carrie’s face. Amy studied the bruises and the cuts that were above her eye and the one next to the corner of her mouth. “Gosh, I wish I could strangle the person who did this to you.”

  “I don’t know who did this to me. I don’t remember. It had something to do with Isaac’s mother, but I don’t know,” she said, her shaking voice so soft that it was a whisper. Carrie studied Amy’s face. She had green eyes that were just like emeralds, and her skin was fair with freckles across her nose. Carrie thought that Amy was beautiful.

  “I know. Did they find her yet?” Amy asked, nodding.

  “I don’t know; Isaac hasn’t said,” Carrie replied. Before she knew it, Amy threw her arms around her to hug her. She didn’t hug her back; she wasn’t comfortable with her touching her. She winced because Amy hit her bruise.

  “I’m just so glad that you are okay.” Amy leaned back to look at her face. “Well, for the most part.” Amy let her go and asked, “Have you showered?” Carrie regarded the question with wide eyes and shook her head. “Well, I’ll help you,” she said as she reached down to pull her shirt off. Carrie grabbed her shirt and backed up, shaking her head.

  “No, I don’t know you. Isaac helps me. I don’t know him either, but he’s been caring for me,” she said, still shaking her head and holding her hand up to keep Amy back.

  “I know, but he asked me to help you today while he can’t. I’m your best friend. I have done this before,” she said, her hands on her hips and slightly leaning forward.

  “I don’t know you. I want Isaac,” Carrie said, turning more toward the wall, trying to hide.

  “Okay, I’ll call him. Would that make you feel better, if I called him?” she asked, pushing Carrie’s hair away from her face. She didn’t say anything; she just nodded. Amy pulled her cell phone from her pocket and sat down on the bed, crossing her legs, as she dialed the phone. She waited a few seconds, and Isaac answered the phone.

  “Hello,” Isaac said.

  “Yeah, Isaac, I was trying to help her take a shower, and she is refusing my help. She’s asking for you,” Amy said.

  “I told you,” he said. He did try to warn her.

  “I know, but I thought maybe when she saw me, she would remember,” she said.

  “Nothing seems to be working. Let me talk to her,” Isaac said. Amy handed Carrie the phone.

  “He wants to talk to you,” Amy said. Carrie took the phone and looked at it. “Put it up to your ear,” Amy instructed.

  “Hello,” Carrie said.

  “Sweetheart, Amy’s not there to hurt you. I asked her to help you” Isaac tried to reassure her. Secretly, he was grateful that she wanted him and no one else to help her, but he couldn’t today. Opening night was in a little more than twenty-four hours, and she knew how important this was to him. She just didn’t remember.

  “I don’t know her, and my side is hideous. I don’t want her to see it,” Carrie said, leaning against the wall to hide from Amy.

  “I know. I’m sorry I can’t be there, but just let her help you. I promise that I will be there the next time,” he said.

  “Okay, I will let her if you say so,” Carrie conceded.

  He thought, she feels comfort with me, and that is great, one step at a time.

  “Okay, I will see you around three, and remember I’m taking you to the place we met tonight,” he said. “I promise I will help you then. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Okay, bye,” he said.

  “Bye,” she replied and handed the phone back to Amy. “He said I should trust you, but my side is hideous.”

  “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you, I promise,” Amy said. She slid her phone back into her pocket. “Does it hurt to lift your arms?” she asked, standing up.

  “A little bit. Isaac put something on it, and it’s helped a little,” Carrie said, looking down.

  “BENGAY,” she said, sniffing, “I smell it.”

  Amy pulled the shirt off over her head and glanced down at the huge bruise that was all different shades of black, blue, and purple. She gasped, put her hand over her mouth, and closed her eyes to hold back tears.

  “I told you it was bad,” Carrie said, looking ashamed.

  “Gosh, what did they do to you?” Amy asked through her hand. Carrie was covered in bruises, but the one on her side was the worst bruise she’d ever seen. It stretched from her armpit down past her waist.

  “I don’t know, but I overheard the doctor tell Isaac that he thought I was thrown against the wall. He couldn’t explain what happened to my side, though,” Carrie said, looking back up at Amy’s face. Her face was full of shock, and it was clear to Carrie that Amy thought something bad had happened to her. “Is it that bad?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head and closing her eyes. “No, it really isn’t.” It was a lie, but she didn’t want Carrie to know that it was horrible to look at. She wanted to weep for her friend. She couldn’t imagine what she had gone through, but now, more than anything, she was grateful that Carrie didn’t remember what happened. “Well, let’s get you into the shower.” She put her arm around Carrie’s waist and took her to the bathroom.

  Amy turned the water on as Carrie struggled out of the rest of her clothes. Amy turned to hold her arm out so Carrie could use it to lean on. She noticed the necklace around Carrie’s neck. She knew it was Isaac’s gift for her on their anniversary, because she and Dave had helped him pick it out. “You’re still wearing that?” Carrie looked down.

  “What? This?” She picked up the pendent and draped it over her hand to show Amy how it matched. “Look, it matches my ring.”

  Amy looked at her and smiled. “I know,” Amy said. Carrie dropped her hand and stepped into the shower. Amy jumped to the sink and brought out her cell phone. She wrote a text to Isaac. You could have warned me about her injured side! Pushing send, she laid it beside her on the sink. “Are you all right? Do you need me?”

  “No, I’m managing. My arm doesn’t want to reach up to my head, so I have to do it one-handed. Isaac washes my hair for me.” As she said the last about Isaac, she heard music g
oing off. “Amy, what is that?” Amy picked up her phone. She had gotten a reply from Isaac. Sorry, I know it’s bad, but I don’t want her to think it’s bad. She has two broken ribs.

  “Oh, it’s just my phone,” Amy said as she texted him back. It looks like her whole side is broken. Do you know what happened?

  “Oh,” Carrie said, rinsing her hair. “I’m ready to get out,” she announced. Amy jumped off the sink and grabbed a towel. Carrie turned off the water and stepped out. Amy wrapped her in a towel. Again, Amy’s phone went off. “I’ll go get dressed,” Carrie announced.

  “I’ll be there in a minute to help,” Amy said, reading the text from Isaac. I know. No one knows exactly, but the doctor says she was thrown. Amy brought her hand up to her mouth; she was feeling anguish for her friend. She wished that she had been there so she could have protected her, but she didn’t even know that they had gone to California until they were already there. She went to help Carrie get dressed.

  Isaac got Amy’s text back and set his phone on the rehearsal piano. He was in his cat costume, with the exception of makeup. He had orange fur, and they were making sure he fit in the costume. “Isaac, I think you were born to be a cat,” the costume manager said.

  “Yes, it does seem to be purr-fect doesn’t it,” he replied, looking down at his body.

  “Yep. Oh, Isaac, I heard about your mother. Is everything okay?” Maggie, the costume manager said.

  “Well, no,” Isaac started to say. “My wife was attacked in the hospital, and my mother was kidnapped.”

  “Oh no, is Carrie all right?” she said, her hand at her mouth.

  “Yes and no. She has amnesia, and she’s pretty bruised. She has cuts on her face. Oh, and she has two broken ribs on her side,” he explained with a catch in his voice, he was close to tears. Maggie gave him a hug of sympathy.

  “I’m so sorry. She doesn’t remember anything?” she asked, letting go of him.

  “Nothing, not even her family. The weird thing is that last night she didn’t want me to sleep in bed with her, but this morning she was laying on the floor next to me in the living room.” He wasn’t going to add that he put his feet on her side and made her feel severe pain. Just hurting her made him sad.

  “Well, maybe she is starting to remember something,” she said to reassure him.

  “I don’t think she is remembering anything. This morning I had to tell her how to tell her daughters apart. I still have trouble sometimes,” he said, leaning against the piano for support.

  “Well, maybe she is starting to fall in love with you again and not realizing it,” she said with a smile.

  “I think she might.” He smiled. “She told me that she had a dream that I was going to leave her,” he said, thinking about this morning.

  “That’s it; it’s coming back to her,” she said, smiling so wide that she showed her teeth. She loved Carrie and was secretly jealous of the love they shared. Their love was a once in a lifetime kind of love. “I hope things get better. So what about your mother. Do they have any idea where she is?”

  “No, I called my brother this morning on my way here. They still don’t know where the guy is who took my mom. Oh, guess what? Carrie dug the crap out of the man, and they found skin and blood in her fingernails. That’s my girl, you know, always trying to keep everyone safe.” He smiled to himself, proud of his wife, but sad at the same time that she didn’t remember anything.

  “Gosh, I hope they find her soon, safe and alive.” Maggie patted him on his arm.

  “Me too,” he said, straightening up at the directors call to start the half dress rehearsal.

  Without him knowing, a girl named Nikki came around the inner curtain. She had had a secret crush on Isaac for a few months. She knew he was married—she had been there—but she thought maybe this was her chance to get him to look at her. She would wait until after rehearsal, and then she was going to make her move on him. She watched him get to his spot on the stage with a huge smile on his face then went to her spot.

  Carrie sat in the chair at the restaurant, looking around the room. “Do you remember this place?” Amy asked, watching her look around.

  “No,” Carrie said. It looked familiar, as everything did, but she didn’t recognize anything.

  “Oh, well, this is one of your favorite places to eat. You just love the salad they have here,” she said, pointing to the salad on the menu.

  “Well, if that is what I like, then that is what I’ll have,” Carrie said, looking up at Amy. The waiter came and took their order. They sat in silence for a few moments. Amy was watching Carrie’s face as she took in her surroundings. She was beginning to miss her friend with her bubbly attitude and sense of humor. This person sitting in front of her looked like her friend and talked like her, but it wasn’t her friend. Something was missing, and that was the part of her friend that she missed.

  Without warning, Amy heard music coming from Carrie’s purse. “Carrie, your phone is ringing.” Carrie looked at her like she didn’t know what she was talking about. “Your purse.” Carrie looked down at it. Her purse was sitting on the floor. She bent down to pick it up. She reached into it take the thing that was making noise out of it. “It’s Isaac; I can tell by the music,” Amy said. Carrie held it in the air. “Answer it.” As Amy said that, she reached and pushed the button. Carrie put it up to her ear.

  “Hello,” Carrie said into it.

  “Hello, sweetheart,” Isaac answered. Something about the way he talked to her sent tingles down her spine.

  “Hi, Isaac,” she said.

  “How are you? Are you at lunch with Amy?” he asked.

  “Yes we are at…” She broke off, waiting for Amy to tell her where they were.

  “Déjeuner,” Amy supplied in a whisper.

  “Day-june-ay—something like that,” she said into the phone.

  “Oh, Déjeuner, that is one of your favorite places to eat. Are you having the salad?” Isaac asked.

  “Yes, how did you know?” she asked, looking at Amy with surprise.

  “Well, I guess I just know my wife,” he said. “You know, it means lunch in French.”

  “French? I’m trying to deal with Japanese, now there is French?” Carrie asked, shocked.

  “Yeah, there is. I just wanted to call to see how you’re doing. I have to get back to rehearsal,” he said.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “I’ll see you soon,” Isaac said.

  “Bye,” she said.

  “Bye,” he said. He heard her hang up the phone. “I love you,” he whispered. He slipped the phone into his pocket. He wasn’t wearing his costume anymore, but his director wanted to go over some more things before the show opened tomorrow and to go over the whole show just one more time. He turned around and almost ran into Nikki. “Oh, sorry,” he said as he tried to walk past her.

  “It’s okay. Wait,” she said, getting his attention.

  “What?” he asked. He didn’t really know her, but now she wanted to talk to him.

  “I heard about your wife. I just wanted to say how sorry I am,” she said, batting her eyes at him.

  “It’s okay,” he said, starting to walk again. She grabbed his arm. He looked down at her hand and raised an eyebrow to look at her.

  “I was thinking that maybe you would like to get a drink with me or something, since she’s out of the way,” she said, her fingers walking up his arm to stroke a finger down his face. He grabbed her hand and pushed her away. The sexy look she was giving him was wiped away.

  “Nikki, my wife has amnesia. She’s not dead,” he said, walking away to get to his spot. Nikki watched him go. She was close to tears, rejection filling her body. Maggie came up behind her and tapped her shoulder. Nikki jumped with guilt.

  “What did you expect? Even if she was dead, he wouldn’t want to have a drink with you. He loves her, and that kind of love, no one, not even you, can destroy,” Maggie said and disappeared. Nikki sulked for a minute. Then she realized that he was
really in love with his wife and that she was just wasting her time. She went to her spot on the stage.

  “Are you sure you are going to be okay for an hour before Isaac gets home?” Amy asked as she stood in the doorway of the apartment that Carrie shared with Isaac.

  “Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m a little tired. I thought I might take a nap.” Carrie was trying to get some alone time, but Amy wasn’t getting the hint very well. She was tired. With the night that she had and waking up to the agony of pain that Isaac accidently inflicted on her, she felt weak and tired. The medicine made her feel that way too.

  “All right, you have my number in your phone. All you have to do is call,” Amy said, stepping more fully into the hall. “See you at dinner then.”

  “Dinner?” Carrie repeated. She knew that Isaac was taking her somewhere tonight but wasn’t aware that anyone was going to be there too.

  “Yes, Isaac invited everyone to be there: me and Dave, Matt, and Kyle. Chrissie will be there and, of course, Chris and Missy,” Amy said.

  “Chris and Missy are my brother and sister-in-law? But who are Matt and Kyle?” Carrie asked, leaning on the door.

  “Matt and Kyle are our friends too. They are, well, how do I say this?” she asked, tapping her finger on her cheek trying to find a good way to put it. “Um, lovers. Well, they are gay, but they are good people and we love them. They are our really good friends, and they are anxious to see you and see if you remember them.”

  “Oh, okay,” Carrie said, nodding.

  “Okay, we’ll see you later,” Amy said, turning to the stairs. Carrie closed the door and turned to look around the room. She saw all the pictures surrounding her.